After 44 Years Patagonia Released Its First Commercial & It's Not About Clothing

Over Patagonia's 44 year history it has never aired a single commercial, up until now. From the early roots of Patagonia in 1973, founded by environmental activist Yvon Chouinard, Patagonia has always viewed capitalism with a different lens.

You likely own Patagonia clothing and if not, you certainly have heard of Patagonia. The apparel giant is estimated to reach over $750 million in 2017 revenue all without running a single television ad. That is, up until now, when Patagonia ran its first ever advertisement.

The goal of the ad isn't to boost sales or drum up excitement on a new product launch, but to highlight the need to protect America's public lands. Patagonia's first, and perhaps last, advertisement taps into one of Patagonia's core values of protecting and preserving our lands. A value that was instilled by founder Yvon Chouinard.

Patagonia invested $700,000 in a minute long television advertisement largely featuring Yvon Chouinard discussing the need to protect and cultivate America's public lands.

The timing is in response to President Trump's request to review 28 of America's national monuments. This includes protected lands from Maine to Hawaii which are under threat of dilution and exploitation. Yvon Chouinard intents to hold Secretary of the Interior Ryan Zinke to his statement that "our greatest treasures are public lands."

To put this into perspective, an estimated total 770 million acres of public land is under review by the Trump administration. This is larger than the combined areas of California, Texas, and Alaska (~701 million acres). Hence the concern and need for the American people to step up and ensure our politicians are acting in our best interests.

Here is a list of all national monuments that are under review.

National Monument

State

Rose Atoll Marine National Monument

American Samoa

Grand Canyon-Parashant National Monument

Arizona

Ironwood Forest National Monument

Arizona

Sonoran Desert National Monument

Arizona

Vermilion Cliffs National Monument

Arizona

Berryessa Snow Mountain National Monument

California

Carrizo Plain National Monument

California

Giant Sequoia National Monument

California

Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument

California

San Gabriel Mountains National Monument

California

Mojave Trails National Monument

California

Sand to Snow National Monument

California

Canyons of the Ancients National Monument

Colorado

Pacific Remote Islands Marine National Monument

Hawai'i

Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument

Hawai'i

Craters of the Moon National Monument

Idaho

Katahdin Woods and Waters National Monument

Maine

Northeast Canyons and Seamounts Marine National Monument

Massachusettes

Upper Missouri River Breaks National Monument

Montana

Basin and Range National Monument

Nevada

Gold Butte National Monument

Nevada

Organ Mountains-Desert Peaks National Monument

New Mexico

Río Grande del Norte National Monument

New Mexico

Marianas Trench Marine National Monument

Northern Mariana Islands & Guam

Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument

Oregon

Bears Ears National Monument

Utah

Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument

Utah

Hanford Reach National Monument

Washington

The decision on the fate of these 27 national monuments rests on President Trump this week. These monuments are this great land's heart and soul. The idea of removing protections on these lands and opening them up for development and dilution is simply not in the best interest of America and Americans.

You can voice your opinion on our public lands to Secretary Zinke here and remind him of his pledge to preserve America's public lands.

This is not about politics or partisanship—it’s about standing up for places that belong to future generations. Patagonia wants to raise awareness of history’s lesson that when public lands are turned over to states that can’t afford to maintain them, the result is the land is often auctioned off to private companies who irrevocably damage them and deny access to them for all of us. Whether you are a hunter or a hiker, an angler or a climber, Patagonia wants you to join them in this fight to ensure access and protection for our public lands. - Statement from Patagonia

Note: This post has been updated since publication with an updated revenue estimate.

I am a geologist passionate about sharing Earth's intricacies with you. I received my PhD from Duke University where I studied the geology and climate of the Amazon. I am the founder of Science Trends, a leading source of science news and analysis on everything from climate ...